TITANIC THE MISSING MOMENTS WITH JACK AND ROSE
by susan cousineau
Summary: This tells the story of Jack and Rose. What if Jack survived?
Jack and his friend had been playing poker for days they had started out with nothing and therefore had nothing to lose. Although there was a language barrier at the table poker was a non speaking game and when the man had offered his third class tickets to the Titanic Jack and his friend couldn't resist putting up what they had left.

Naturally they won the hand and would set off for the new world. Even third class tickets were better than the situations Jack had found himself in lately. He loved being free and tied to no one. His parents had died three years before and with no close relatives he had set out on his own.

A naturally talented painter Jack had worked his way accross to Europe and had managed to exist on what little he could make off his ten cent drawings. Now he was going home, back where he was from he and his friend would have safe passage to the United States.

Fabrizio and Jack had become the best of friends over the past few months and had been very helpful on many of their adventures. Why just two nights ago the two of them had been sleeping under a bridge.

The clock said that the ship would be leaving in five minutes and they had to run to the ship. The ramp to the ship was being pulled away as Jack and Fabrizio jumped to get onto the ship and start their voyage into the future.

The room that they would be sharing with two friends was small but clean and came with a sink and two bunks. There were sheets and blankets and perhaps Jack and his friend would be able to take a long needed shower.

Jack and Fabrizio unpacked their few meger things and decided to go up on deck. The deck was long and went from side to side. Although they were in third class the accomodations were very elegant.

The dinner was served in a large dining room with plain but sufficient plates and silverware and the meals were delicious. There was no limit on how many helpings you could take and Jack took advantage of this. He had not had a good meal in weeks.

Once dinner was complete the atmosphere changed and the partying and music began. Third class could party and although sometimes a little rowdy it was fun sport. There was a man who played the spoons very well and another who played the bagpipes, a lady sat at the piano. Everyone danced children and adults alike, the atmosphere was very jolly. Jack and Fabrizio never made it back to their bunks until way after one am.

Jack woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the dining room. He looked up at his friend and smiled. This would be the day. As they sat down to eat their breakfast Jack spotted Mary and her little girl Sara. Mary was a widow and going to the United States to live with her husband's family and start a new life. She was a very efficient woman and offered to clean Jack and Fabrizio's clothes for them. They were very thankful, now they could go topside and watch the waves.

As Jack and his friend walked around the ship he saw several stairways all with chains and signs saying no tresspassing second class only. "We must get up there sometime. I want to see what their quarters look like and then perhaps to the first class?" he said with a smile.

"No we can't do that can we? They might throw us overboard." Fabrizio told him in a worried tone.

Jack looked at him and laughed he knew that would never happen. But now, he was looking out at the sea and could see the dolphins swimming alongside of her. The air was starting to get a little cool but the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Jack and Fabrizio spent the day talking to the passengers and Jack did several drawings of different things aboard the ship. Even in third class they had games for the passengers and a library for reading.

That afternoon while out on some of the deck chairs relaxing Jack looked up to see the woman of his dreams. She must have been around seventeen with red curly hair and a nice figure. She was arguing with a man who tried to take her arm and she pulled away. Fabrizio noticed what he was doing and laughed. She just wasnt his type. She would never want someone like him she was first class after all.

Again as Jack rested he heard a girl crying and heading toward the stern. He looked up and saw the same girl headed toward the railing of the ship. 'I cannot let her jump' he thought. She seemed determined but Jack convinced her to come back over and their journey began.

She was being forced into marriage by her mother who had spent all of their money and this abusive man was going to force her into doing things that she certainly didn't want to get involved in.

Rose was a handful spoiled but very unhappy and Jack was determined to change all that for her. He wanted to show her his world, so he showed her his paintings. He went around doing more painting of the people on the ship and Rose kept him company. She had a clear laugh when she had something to smile about.

The next morning when Jack got up he went up on the first class deck once again looking for his Rose. She was walking with Thomas Andrews the builder of the ship. They were talking about the lifeboats and how useless they were when Jack grabbed her.

Rose and Jack went down to the third class dining and recreation room where they could spend some time together. Mary was more than happy to have a lovely young girl like Rose to speak to and Rose seemed to like spending time with the little girl Sara.

It was near to lunch time and Rose needed to go up to the first class and get dressed for lunch. She was sure that her mother had missed her. But, she didn't care, for the first time in her life she was having a good time and being herself not some stone princess.

"Rose, where have you been? Cal and I have been looking for you for the past two hours." her mother scorned her as she walked into the room.

"I have been around, it is a ship you know. I cannot exactly go too far mother." Rose tried to sound non chalent about everything and hoped her mother believed her.

Again dinner was boring and Rose couldn't wait to get back to Jack. She was the young polite socialite that she was suposed to be and bided her time. Once her mother went to her cabin to take a nap Rose headed out to go see Jack.

She was just getting ready to open the chain to the third floor when she spotted her fiance's henchman behind her. "Mr Lovejoy, may I help you?" she said in her best voice.

"I am here to protect you. What on earth would you be doing going down to the third class? Does this have anything to do with you and that man Jack?" Lovejoy asked with a snear.

"That is none of your business frankly and if you will just pardon me." Rose said

It was too late Cal had followed them and was ready for a confrontation. "Rose you are my fiancee and you will act as such. This sort of behavior is unacceptable" and with that he slapped her.

Fortunately for Rose by this time Jack and Fabrizio had come around the corner to see the whole thing and showed Lovejoy and Cal that they would not accept that kind of behavior from anyone.

"If you chose to stay down in third class with the scum then that will be your fate." Cal yelled. "I will not accept you as my wife."

"Then you can consider this marriage cancelled." Rose told him.

Rose turned to Jack and thanked them but explained that it was very important that she speak to her mother and explain. She was sure that her mother would be upset but she would just have to understand an abusive husband was not her life to be.

As she entered her room she found her mother on the bed crying and saying over and over 'why?' She looked up when she saw Rose and jumped up. "Rose what is going on? This is a good match you and Cal. You will never want for a thing and we can continue in the lifestyle that we have been accustomed to." she begged her.

Cal came into the room and smiled locking the door behind him. Rose ran to the door but to her dismay the door was locked from the outside and she was trapped. She looked to the phone in the room and ran to it but Cal had paid the operator off and he refused to help her.  
Rose and her mother were kept in the cabin for the rest of the day . Cal brought them something to eat but wouldn't let them leave. They were his prisoner.

Rose's mother was determined to make the marriage work and kept emploring Cal who was enjoying all the problems. Rose was sitting out on the promenade when she felt a jolt. 'What was that?' she thought to herself and then she saw it an iceberg.

"Mother, mother" she went over to get her. "Wake up mother we have struck an iceberg." Rose shouted.

Cal came in telling the woman that there was nothing to worry about, but the stewardess told them that they had to get up on deck because they were lowering the lifeboats. Rose and her mother dressed as quickly as they could and headed with Lovejoy and Cal. Lovejoy at this time had a gun to Rose's back and told her that he would shoot her if she tried to escape.

When they arrived on deck it was very cold and the noise was unbearable. There were people walking around in a daze and the steam kept on blowing. Women were crying, but they found the lifeboat that they were to be on. Cal told her that she looked very cold and gave her his coat not realizing that he had left a large diamond in the pocket.

Once on the lifeboat Rose was safe from Lovejoy. As they lowered down she spotted Jack and jumped back to the ship. "Good-bye mother" she said with a courtsey and ran to the man she loved. Jack was standing next to Mary and her little girl trying to think of a way to get onto a ship. He spotted Rose and ran over and handed the little girl into the seat Rose had been in and convinced the man in charge to let the mother escape with her daughter.

Cal was up on deck yelling at her to stop but it did him no good. They started toward the other side of the ship when Cal caught sight of them. He did not care about anyone else's safety and began shooting at them. He missed and was standing in about two feet of water when he went back up to the upper deck.

Rose and Jack waited for a few minutes and headed back up as the water was getting much deeper. Cal had thrown the gun into the water in frustration so perhaps they would be ok.

When they approached the top deck once again the ship was listing very heavilly by this point and the lights were flickering. To their surprise on this side of the ship there weren't very many people. Most of the people were on the other side. Cal was busy trying to buy his way onto a boat with one of the officers.

Panic was starting on the ship and they heard gunshots coming from the other side and the screams were terrifying. "Rose you must go now!" Jack shouted over all the noise.

"I won't and that is it!" she shouted back.

Jack and Rose ran to the other side and grabbed as many people that could convince to come over to the other side to the safety of the lifeboats. The ship was going lower and lower and the air was freezing. As they stood at the stern they waited until the last moment before going into the water.

The water felt like one thousand knives going into your skin it was all Rose and Jack could do to move never mind swim. Jack found the doors to the dining room and helped Rose get up onto one at which time he followed. They looked around and heard all the screams. There was an overturned lifeboat with several men trying to keep it afloat while standing on it upside down and several people were holding on to deck chairs and things of that sort.

One officer kept on calling the lifeboats back and blowing a whistle and people were screaming but no one came back. It must have been an hour when Rose and Jack finally saw a boat coming near them. They were two of a very few that were pulled from the water that night.

The night was long and cold and they were never so happy as when they saw the Carpathia coming into sight. Some of the people in the lifeboats didn't have coats or anything. Rose was so wet and cold it was all she could do to climb back into that ship but she and Jack were successful.

Three days later they arrived in New York where Rose and Jack disembarked. Jack and Rose had managed to stay away from Rose's mother who they had heard crying because she had lost her beloved daughter and her fiancee.

Rose said a quick prayer for Cal and Lovejoy much to Jack's amuzement 'These two men keep you captive and then try to kill you and you say a prayer for them' he thought.

As they went through customs Rose identified herself as Rose Dawson, Jack's wife. As she reached into her pocket she found the diamond necklace. What a piece. It would bring a pretty penny. Her mother wanted money so bad let her have the necklace. She would slip it into her pocket and she did as she walked by unnoticed.

Jack and Rose left New York with just the thirty five dollars a piece that the White Star Line had given all the survivors of third class. This was suposed to pay for their lost items. But, it was better than nothing and Jack was used to having no money.

They would always have his drawings and they would find a place where there air was fresh and the land readilly available. Maine, yes that was the place for them to start their life together, a small town where they would raise a family and live free willed.

As they approached the shores of Maine, Jack and Rose looked out over the sea. This would be where they would set up for their new life free from anyone else's chains.


End file.
